Releasing device.



.I. IRWIN.

RELEASING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FIL'ED FEB- 19, 1916.

1,227,147. 7 Patented May 22, 1917.

. llll In WITNESSES: INVENTOR I rfaizzeafmz'iz.

I AITORNE5 1. IRWIN. RELEASING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19, I9I6.

1,227,147. Patented May 22, 1917.

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ATTORNEYO' MIL Nokms PEYERS cuflrnorc-umo. wAsnmmrm, n L

JAMES IRWIN, OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO H. J.MAHONY (30., OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ACOBPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

RELEASING nnvrcn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 19,1916.' Serial No. 79,352.

, Improvements in Releasing Devices, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to'a releasing device. One of the is to provide asimple, substantial, easily operated releasing device capable of quicklyreleasing suspended bodies from their supports or mountings, and whichis especially adapted for use in connectionwith life boats and the liketo permitthe same to be quickly released from the tackle or davits fromwhich they are suspended. Another object of the invention is to providemeans for simultaneously operating two releasing devices, for instance,one at each end of a boat, and, furthermore, to provide a releasingdevice which may be released either with or without relieving the load.Further objects will hereinafter appear. I

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and"combination of parts as hereinafter more fuly described and claimed,having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure l is acentral, vertical section through the releasing device.

Fig. 2 is an end view of same.

. Fig 3 is a longitudinal section ofa life,

boat, showing the application of the invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section'on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlargedcross section on line 5-5 of Fig.3; j

' Referring to the drawings in detail, A in dicates a pair of spacedside plates; which, in the instance, are connected on one side by a web2, formed integrally therewith, and on the other sideby a cross bar 3.The side plates thus connected form an open slot 4, at the upper end,and the lower end is also open to permit access to ;the intermediatespace, as will be hereinafter described.

Pivotally mounted on a pin 5, secured between the plates, is ahook-shaped bill 6, on the lower end of which isformed a shank -7'. Thehook is so positioned as to extend across the slot 4, when closed, butis permitted 'tO swing back into the dotted line position shown at 6*when opened. Pivotally' mount objects of the present inventioned on apin 8, secured between the side plates, is a horizontally positionedlever 9, on which is formed a shoulder or cam projection 10 provided forthe purpose of engaging and locking the shank 7 of the hook.

Patented May 22, 1917. I

One vend of the lever is extended beyond the pivotal point 8, as at 11,to reach beyond the plates and is adapted to form a lock with aremovable wedge member 12. The member 12 is adapted to be interposedbetween the lever extension 11 and a projecting flange 13 formed'on thecrossbar 3.

Pivotally mounted between the side plates, near the lower end on a pin14, is a locking lever 15. One end of this lever is adapted to engagethe underside of the lever 9'; and

manner, but preferably to 'a-plate 17 which is bolted in position andwhich is provided with two pair of outwardly extending lugs 18 and 19.These lugs embrace the upperand lower ends 'of the side plates," andbolts 20, passing through the lugs and the side plates, form a secureconnection between the releasing device and the plate 17. Positionedcentrally of the "boat, or' in any other convenient position, is avertically disposed frame 22, in the upper end of which is slidablymounted a rod 23 provided with ,a handle 24. The'rod is preferably roundin cross section andlprovided with a'pair of wing extensions 25' (seeFigs. 13 and 5), and the upper end of the frame is similarly shaped,that is, a round opening fitting the 'r0d*2 3-is providedand 'a pairjofslots, similar in shape to the wing extensions 25, is

provided to permit the rodto be lowered, as

will hereinafter be described. 7

1 Mounted on the lower end ofthe' rod is a bracket 26, and pivotallymounted in the lower end of the frame 22 is a pair of offset bellcranks27 and 28 whi'chare connected with thebracket 26, by means offapair of links29 and' 30 Interposed betweenieach bell-crank 27 and28 andthe bell cranks 17, mounted at each end of the boat, is area 31 which"extends through a nponthe keel of the boat.-

pipe secured V the handle, until the wing projections 25 register withthe similarly shaped slots in the upper end of the frame 22. The rodwill then permit a rocking of the bellcranks 27' and 28, with connectedbellcranks 17, thereby allowing these to swing I the locking levers fromthe dotted line tackle.

position shown at 15* in Fig. 1 to the full line position. The cam lever9, being released, will then drop down in unison with the locking leverand release the hook, per- 7 mitting this to swing free and release theThe arrangement of the locking levers also permits the boat to bereleased while still in suspension. As the weight of the, load iscarried by the hook, it will be seen that the hook always has a tendencyto swing inward in the direction of arrow at and therefore has aconstant tendency to depress the cam lever 9 androck the locking lever15 into the full line position. It is,

therefore, only necessary toturn the rod 23 until the wing projections25 register with the slots in the frame 22.

7 The pressure of the shank 7, against the cam levers 9 and lockinglevers 15, will then force this in a downward direction and pull the rod23 down, permitting a simultaneous releasing action of both hooks.

A releasing device constructed as here shown is simple, rigid andsubstantial in construction and is always positive in action as itcannot fail to release either with or without a load if the operatingrequirements are complied with.

An important feature of the present invention is the position of thehook and locking levers. This arrangement causes the hooks to move, whenreleased, with and not against the weight. The provision of theoperating rod 23, which is inclosed by the frame 22, positively preventsaccidental releasing of the hooks as these cannot become released exceptby the man in charge, and as he must deliberately turn the rod until thewing projections 25 register with the slots in the casing or frame 22,it can be seen that accidental release cannot take when it is turnedinto register with the slots or keyway in the frame. The weight orpressure constantly exerted is so. reduced,

through the arrangement of the leverage between the different pivotalpoints, that only a'small fraction of the load is trans.-

mitted at any time, thus removing any danger of bending the rods andaccidentally releasing the hooks at anytime.

The secondary lock, formed movable wedge 12, is only provided for thepurpose of permitting one man to engage the hooks and lock the same withrelation to the tackle. It can easily be seen that one man could notpossibly engage both hooks at one time as these are placed at oppositeends of the boat. He will, therefore, have to engage one hook and theninterpo'se the wedge 12 to temporarily retain it in locked position. Hemay then proceed to the opposite end of theboat and engage and look bythe rej the other hook in the same manner. He

next proceeds to the center of the boat and -locks it in this position,when fully extend- 7 ed, by turning the wing projections out of registerwith the keyway or slots in the frame. This upward movement of. the rodmoves the connected levers and interposed leased, when the hooks arelocked in the proper manner, and the chains connected to same are soshort that they cannot again be inserted when the rod 23 is in theraised locked position shown. This is very essential as one or bothwedges might possibly be left in looking position, thus permittingoneend only to becomereleased when'the rod 23 is operated'or some otheraccident might happen which could otherwise have been avoided.

The materials and finish of the several parts of the device are suchastheexperience and judgment of the manufacturer may dictate.

I wish it understood that various changes in form, proportions anddetails of construction may be resorted to within the scope of theappended claims and that I do not wish to limit myself to the specificdesign and construction here shown.

. Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is I 1. The combination with a pair of releasingdevices and the locking levers carried thereby, of a releasing rodinterposed between the locking levers, a frame in which the releasingrod is vertically positioned and slidably mounted, a bracket on thelower end of the rod, a pair of bell-cranks each connected with arespective one of the releasing devices, and a pair of rods connectingthe bracket and the bell cranks.

2. A releasing device comprising a pair of spaced connected plates, ahook member pivotally mounted between the. plates having a shankextension on one side of the pivot,

a cam lever pivotally mounted between the plates and engageable with theshank extension on the hook to lock the hook against movement, a lockinglever movable independently of and engageable with the cam lever, andmeans for locking the locking lever against movement.

3. A releasing device comprising a pair of spaced connected plates, ahook member pivotally mounted between the plates having a shankextension on one side of the pivot, a cam lever pivotally mountedbetween the plates and engageable with the shank extension on the hookto lock the hook against movement, and a removable wedge memberinsertible between the cam lever and a lug formed between the sideplates to lock the cam lever against movement.

4. A releasing device comprising a pair of spaced connected plates, ahook member pivotally mounted between the plates having a shankextension on one side of the pivot, a cam lever pivotally mountedbetween the plates and engageable with the shank extension on the hookto lock the hook against movement, a removable wedge member insertiblebetween the cam lever and a lug formed between the side plates to lockthe cam lever against movement, a locking lever engageable with the camlever, means for locking the locking lever against movement, and meansfor automatically retracting the -wedge member when the locking lever ismoved into locking position and locked.

5. A releasing devicecomprising a pair of spaced connected plates, ahook member pivotally mounted between the plates having a shankextension on one side of the pivot, a cam lever pivotally mountedbetween the plates and engageable with the shank extension on the hookto lock the hook against movement, means for locking the cam leveragainst movement, and a securing member adapted to carry the releasingdevice as a whole, said member comprising a plate, a pair of lugs formedon each endof the plate and adapted to embrace the side plates of thereleasing device, and bolts extending through the lugs and side platesto secure the releasing device.

6. A releasing device comprising a movably supported engaging membernormally thereby, of a releasing rod interposed between the lockinglevers, a frame in which the releasing rod is vertically positioned andslidably mounted, cranks and links connecting the lower end of thereleasing rod with the locking levers to transmit movement from thereleasing rod to rock the locking levers simultaneously into releasingor looking position, a pair of wing extensions on the releasing rod andslots in the frame with which said wing extensions are adapted toregister, and means for turning the releasing rod to bring the wingextensions out of register with the slots and to lock the rod againstsliding movement when the locking levers are in looking position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JAMES IRWIN.

Witnesses JOHN H. HERRING,

W. W. HEALEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

